The Assignment To Help An Orphan
by Lal Soong
Summary: As Sam tries to prevent an orphanage from being closed down, Al deals with personal demons,


"The Assignment to Help An Orphan" 

A Quantum Leap/Highway to Heaven crossover story p> By Lal Soong 

As Sam Beckett leaped into his next host's body, he felt a chill run through him. Wherever he was, the temperature was nearing the zero mark. The wind gusted into his face and the snow iced his hair. 

He was standing in front of the door of a two-story building beside a tall, thin man with dark brown hair, who wore no more than a leather jacket despite the blizzard that surrounded them. 

The man smiled warmly, then nodded at Sam as though oblivious to his surroundings. 

"The Boss told me to expect you," the man said. "I think you're going to like this assignment, Sam." 

"The boss?" Sam asked through numb lips. Confused that the man beside him knew his name, Beckett began patting himself on the face and arms as though he could sense whether he was actually himself or not. It was hard to tell through his bulky gloves, though. _Does he really know who I am? Or have I leaped into someone with the same name?_

The man turned away from the time traveler, and knocked on the door. A minute later a woman in her thirties with blond hair slightly longer than shoulder-length answered. She looked haggard like a woman who hadn't slept much lately. 

"Yes, can I help you?" she asked, holding the door only as far as the bolted chain would permit. 

Embarrassed, Sam stopped slapping his arms as soon as he realized she was watching him. 

"My name's Jonathan Smith," the man replied. "And this is my friend, Mark Gordon." 

_ Now he's calling me Mark_, Sam thought. _Who is this guy?_

"Is something the matter?" the woman asked looking at Sam with confusion. Her grip seemed to tighten on the door as if she were preparing to close it. 

"I'm afraid my friend's just a little cold," Jonathan replied. "We're here about the ad you placed for janitors." 

"Oh yes, of course." The woman grew noticeably relaxed, unlatched the door, then opened it fully. "Why don't you come inside where it's warm?" 

Sam preceded Jonathan inside and spotted the reflection of a tall, overweight man with a greying beard in a mirror just around the corner. 

They stomped their feet on the thick rug. Sam removed his gloves and rubbed his hands together, trying to get his circulation going again. 

"My name's Lori McKensie," the woman said, offering her hand out first to Sam, then to Jonathan for a handshake, each of them accepting her grasp. "Your hands aren't even cold!" she exclaimed after releasing Jonathan's hand. 

"That's what pockets are for," Smith replied. 

"But the wind chill outside is below zero." 

"Well, I keep the car pretty warm, and I was only outside 

for a minute." 

Lori smiled, though her eyes revealed the oddity still perplexed her. "Would you like to go into the kitchen and have some coffee or cocoa?" 

"Coffee would be nice," Jonathan replied, and Lori led them into the kitchen. 

A tall, black woman stood at the sink washing dishes. She turned around, plate in hand, to smile at the new arrivals. 

"This is Ruth," Lori said, introducing the other woman. "Ruth, this is Jonathan Smith and Mark Gordon. They've come about the janitorial positions." 

"Nice to meet you," Ruth said before returning to work. 

Lori opened a cupboard and removed three thick mugs. "Would you like cream or sugar?" she asked as she poured their coffee. 

"Black will be fine," Sam answered, not looking away from Jonathan. He needed to find a way to be alone with this man, so he could ask him what was going on. 

"Same here," Jonathan agreed. 

"Have you done janitorial work before?" Lori asked as she carried all three mugs awkwardly to the table. 

"Yes, we have," Jonathan replied. He took his coffee cup, then reached inside his jacket to pull out a paper from his inside pocket. "You'll find all our references in order." 

Lori handed Sam his coffee, then took the paper from Jonathan, unfolded it, and browsed over the references. 

Sam took a sip of the hot coffee, welcoming it down his throat as it began to warm the frigid body he occupied. 

"Excellent," Lori said as she refolded the paper. "We have thirty-two orphans here. There's eight children's bedrooms, seven of them occupied with five beds in each--" 

"But that's thirty-five," Sam interrupted. 

"Well, three of them are unused. Anyway, I want you to vacuum and dust each room twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The children spend most of their time in the living room, so it'll need to be straightened up and vacuumed daily, except Sundays. You'll have that day off. There will be plenty of yard work and errands to keep you busy. At this time of year, you'll have to shovel the driveway almost everyday. This is an old building, so you'll also be doing repairs on a regular basis. Any questions?" 

"You mean we got the job?" Sam asked. 

"Yes, and if it's convenient for you, I'd like to ask you to start immediately. Ruth and I have been taking the burden, but it's been difficult trying to keep up with everything. We could really use the help." 

"That's no problem," Jonathan replied. 

Lori smiled. "Great. As I stated in the ad, the job includes room and board, so I'll allow you a day to gather your things before you begin." 

"That won't be necessary. Our luggage is already packed and in the trunk of our car." 

"Really? Either you have a lot of confidence or--" 

"We have confidence," Jonathan interrupted. 

"Well, after you're settled into your room, then I'll introduce you to the children." 

After finishing his coffee, Sam followed Jonathan outside to a Ford LTD. Jonathan unlocked the trunk, removed two suitcases, handed one to Sam, then closed the trunk. 

"I don't understand," the time traveler said as he accepted the heavy bag. "Before Lori McKensie opened the door, you called me Sam. How do you know who I am when I don't even look like myself?" 

"Let's get settled in first, then I'll explain." 

Jonathan smiled reassurance and led the way back into the orphanage. 

After Jonathan and Sam reentered the building, Lori led them through a hall and into a bedroom with two beds and an adjacent bathroom. A twelve-inch color television was setting atop the dresser along with a small portable radio. 

"I'll give you two a while to get settled," Lori said. "Then you can meet the children before dinner." She smiled and closed the door behind her as she left their room. 

Setting his suitcase on one of the beds, Jonathan turned to face Sam. Smith was wearing a smile as if telling the time traveler that he understood his confusion. 

"Sam, I know your name, because I'm an angel," he said. "You've leaped into the body of my partner, Mark Gordon." 

"Oh boy!" Sam found himself staggering back onto the bed behind him, suddenly feeling too dizzy to stand. He had been surprised by many things since he first used project Quantum Leap, but he never expected this one. He couldn't tell if Jonathan was nuts or completely rational. He hoped for the former, because if Jonathan were truly an angel then that could mean that Mark was also....dead. "Is Mark an angel too?" 

"Oh no. He's still alive." 

"I don't understand. Why would an angel need my help?" 

"I'm not God. Mark has been helping me for over four years now, and I can't tell you how lonely I was before he offered to join me. The Boss decided to bring you in on this assignment to help guide Al." 

Sam noticed Jonathan looking up when he said The Boss and assumed he meant God. 

"Guide Al?" Sam asked. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. Hadn't he and Al been doing just fine right along before this angel showed up? 

"HE's informed me that you've been having difficulties lately because of Al." 

"I realize that God is running the show. Al and I have done everything HE wanted. We do...Al does the best he can!" Sam protested, standing up. "Doesn't The Boss appreciate all that we've done?" 

"HE only wants to help you." 

"Well, HE has a funny way of showing it. If HE really wanted to help Al and me, HE'd send me back home." 

"But doesn't it make you feel good when you help someone?" 

"When is it going to be my turn to get help? I've got a life somewhere in the future that I can't even remember, because Quantum Leaping turned my brain into swiss cheese. I knew that I was taking a chance when I started the project, but only HE can get me out of it. Haven't I done enough?" 

"I wish I could help you," Jonathan replied. "But The Boss doesn't feel that it's time for HIM to send you back home yet." 

Sam shook his head in disgust before returning his gaze to Jonathan. 

"Are you really an angel?" 

"Yes." 

"Okay. Prove it! Tell me why we're here." 

"We're here, in Minnesota, to help Lori McKensie save her orphanage from being shut down. If the orphanage were to be closed, the children would be forced to live in a larger, less personal institution in Minneapolis." 

"What year is it?" 

"Today is January 5th, 1990." 

_This angel seems to know an awful lot about what we're doing here,_ Sam thought. _ I wonder if he knows everything that's going on back in 1999 as well. That would give new meaning to the word "eternity"._

Sam heard the familiar swishing sound that signaled Al's arrival and turned around to look for his friend. 

"Hello, Al," Jonathan said, smiling. 

"You can see--" The cigar nearly dropped from Al's mouth before he caught it with his hand. "Sam, he can see me." 

"I know that, Al," Sam replied. "He's an angel." 

"You mean like in--" Al looked toward the ceiling. "Oh boy." Sam could see sweat beading on the older man's forehead. Al tried to cover up his uneasiness by punching buttons on his hand link to Ziggy. "Well, you're inside a--" 

"Minnesota orphanage," Sam interrupted. 

"Yes. And the date is--" 

"January 5th, 1990." 

Al gave Sam a flustered look but continued. "You're here to help--" 

"Lori McKensie." 

"Do you know why you're supposed to help her?" Al asked, yelling. 

"Al, why are you raising your voice to me? Come to think of it, you've been acting peculiar for quite some--" Sam stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that what he was saying confirmed what the angel had just told him. 

"I'm sorry, Sam," Al replied in a low voice. "I just thought you needed me, but somehow you seem to know everything before I even got here." He glanced nervously at Jonathan. 

"Why don't you tell me why I'm here." 

"Well, okay." The hologram punched a few buttons on the hand link, then whacked it twice before it cooperated. "You're here to see that the Marshall County orphanage isn't closed down at the end of the month." 

"That's right," Sam said. "Because if it's closed down, the children will be forced to move into a larger orphanage in Minneapolis." 

"How did you figure this all out so fast? You haven't been here even an hour yet." 

"I'm afraid I told him," Jonathan replied. "Being an angel has its advantages. I get my information directly from The Boss." 

"The Boss?" 

"The Almighty, Al," Sam explained. "So who's trying to close the orphanage down?" 

Obviously agitated, Al gave the angel another fleeting glance, then began punching buttons on the hand link. Before Ziggy could give him the answer, Jonathan was already answering the question. 

"A man named Greg Halsey," Jonathan replied. "He's a health inspector, with the opinion that this orphanage is too rundown to be safe for the children." 

"Hey, I was supposed to answer that!" Al exclaimed. 

"But is he right?" Sam asked. Sam could see the frustration on Al's face and hated having to ask his buddy that. 

"Look around," Jonathan butted in once again. "I'm afraid this place needs thousands of dollars worth of repairs. Lori's been trying to do a little of it at a time, hoping that Greg Halsey will get off her back long enough for her to make enough repairs to satisfy a health inspection. But she simply doesn't receive enough government funding to ever have any real hope of finishing the repairs." 

"Okay, okay. So you're here to repair everything," Al said, waving his cigar around. "Sam, get to work, so we can get the Hell out of here." 

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the angel said. "The Boss hasn't told me yet just how we're supposed to solve Lori's problem, but I don't think we could repair everything. First, we don't have the supplies or the money, and second, a storm is just starting that will probably turn into a blizzard by tomorrow. Minnesota is famous for them." 

"Then how are we supposed to help Lori?" Sam asked. 

"I don't know yet." 

"I thought you had all the answers," Al said, "seeing as how you're the one who has a direct link to The Boss." 

"Look I don't have all the--" 

Lori knocked on the open door. 

"Hey you two," she said. "What's going on?" 

"Great," Al said. "Now let's see the angel explain his way out of this one." 

Jonathan gave the hologram a cursory glance before answering Lori. "We were arguing over drawer space. Mark thinks I've taken up more than my share." 

"Did you think to check the closet?" She walked over to the closet, slid one of the doors aside, revealing several shelves. "There's plenty of storage room for two people. Okay?" Lori had a smirk on her face, having obviously dealt with silly arguments before. "Are we ready to move on to something else?" 

"Like figuring out who's in charge of information," Al chimed in. 

"Like meeting the children. They're in the living room waiting for you right now." She paused for a reply that didn't come. 

Sam could feel the tension in the room as though it was holding his tongue. 

"Are you ready to meet them?" Lori reiterated. 

"Yes," Jonathan replied and followed the woman out the door. 

"Al, are you coming?" Sam asked after Lori was out of hearing range. 

"I don't know, Sam," the hologram replied, looking a bit ashen. "I don't know if I can stand to look all those orphans in the eye. And that angel! If I weren't a hologram--" 

"I agree with you, buddy, but if we don't go out there and confront the problem, we're certainly not going to resolve it. I know the orphanage reminds you of your childhood, but don't you know that you could talk to the kids who can see you and reassure them that everything will be okay. This could be a leap that you could really help me with." 

"Yeah, if that angel quits butting in." 

"He won't, not out in the living room in front of Lori and all the children. See, that's one advantage you have on him. You can tell me something without everyone hearing you." 

"I still don't know, Sam. I'm not sure I can take this orphanage so soon after--" 

"After what?" 

Suddenly, Sam understood why Al had been irritable during the last few leaps. He wondered why Al hadn't told him before today about the trouble he was having dealing with an assignment that almost went sour. Nearly three months ago, the time traveler had leaped into a housekeeper and had been unable to prevent the death of the couple he was working for. It was then that they realized that Sam wasn't there to prevent the couple's son from becoming an orphan, but to stop the boy from committing suicide. Al had nearly lost his dependability and had barely warned Sam in time to save Billy. 

"Are you talking about Billy?" Sam asked "Al, that leap was nearly three months ago." Is Jonathan right about Al needing guidance, he wondered. Why would HE even allow Al to get into this situation in the first place? 

Al sighed heavily. "All right. Maybe I'll go with you then." 

Sam went into the living room with the hologram following closely behind. 

The living room was about twenty by thirty feet with two couches, a love seat, and four arm chairs, all well-worn, furnishing the room. All thirty-two of the children were sitting on the floor Indian style, the smallest in front. 

"I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost," Lori said, turning toward Sam. "Children, this is Jonathan Smith and Mark Gordon. They're going to be the new janitors, so can you give them a warm welcome?" 

"Welcome Mr. Smith and Mr. Gordon," the children said together. 

"But there's three of them, Miss McKensie," a little girl in the front row said, pointing toward Al. 

Lori glanced over her shoulder to the spot where the hologram was standing. 

"Melanie," she said. "There's no one else here." 

"Yes, there is!" two other children exclaimed. 

"Sam, I can't take this," Al said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I got to go. Besides, you got the angel to help you with this one." 

Sam looked toward his friend and almost spoke before he realized everyone else would hear him as well and think him crazy. 

_I'm sorry you're under so much pressure, buddy_, Sam thought as Al pushed a button on the hand link and disappeared. He wondered why The Boss kept torturing Al so much. Al had spent five years as a POW in Vietnam, never knowing if he was going to live or die from one day to the next. Then there was the time when Al had to face losing his first wife, Beth, the only woman he had ever really loved, for the second time. Just recently, Al was reminded of the day he learned he was an orphan by witnessing Billy's anguish. And now he had to deal with an angel taking his place. What kind of God allowed this much pain to be inflicted on one person? 

"Children, I want you to all line up, the littlest ones first, and walk single file into the dining room," Lori said. 

"Ruth has cooked up something special for dinner tonight." 

The children did as they were told, following Lori down the hall and into the dining room. 

Sam started to follow them when Jonathan spoke to him. 

"He'll be back," the angel said. 

Sam turned around. "How can you be sure?" 

Jonathan looked up. "Oh, because HE told me." 

The man and the angel followed the same path that the children had taken only a moment ago and found their way into the dinning room. 

The children were seated at four big tables with eight chairs each. A fifth table had four seats, obviously meant for the adults. A long counter divided the dining room from the kitchen. Ruth and Lori were busy passing out plates of food to the children. Jonathan and Sam walked up to Lori, who had returned to the kitchen to fill more plates with lasagna. 

"Would you like some help with that?" Jonathan asked. 

"I sure would," Lori replied and handed Jonathan two plates, then two to Sam. She picked up two more and followed Jonathan and Sam to one of the tables. "I know lasagna's an extra we really can't afford, because cheese is so expensive, but every once in a while we have to give the kids something special." 

"To make them feel like they're worthy," Sam said. 

"That's right." 

Quickly, the adults gave each child a plate and glass of milk, then sat down at their own table. Lori said grace before everyone began eating the special meal. 

During the meal, the room was filled with the children's lively chatter. Jonathan joined them in laughter, but Sam was unable to get his mind off Al long enough to enjoy their antics. He noticed that Lori wasn't laughing either. Was there more troubling her than lost sleep? 

Just as everyone was finishing their food, the phone rang. 

"I'll get that," Ruth said, wiping her face with a paper napkin. She walked over to the phone by the doorway and picked up the receiver. "Hello--Yes, she's here, but I don't think-- Okay." She turned toward Lori. "It's the same man who called yesterday, claiming he was your father." 

"Hang up on him," Lori said and looked down at her plate. 

"I'm sorry, sir, but she doesn't wish to talk to you," Ruth said into the phone, then hung it up. 

"Ruth, make sure the children get ready for bed," Lori said, picking up her cup of coffee and bringing it to her lips. "I'll be out in a few minutes to say good night to them." 

"What about their bedtime story?" 

"I don't feel like it tonight." 

Several of the children groaned. 

"Lori, I don't understand. Maybe you have good reason to not want to talk to the man, but you don't have to take it out on the children." 

"I could read a story to the children," Jonathan offered. 

A smile brightened Ruth's face. "That would be great. Thank you, Jonathan. I'll clean up after dinner while you read the story." 

"Come with me, kids," Jonathan said, standing, and the children eagerly followed him out the door. 

"Would you like me to help you with the dishes?" Sam offered. 

"My, my, Lori, you sure picked the right men for those janitorial jobs." 

"Are you implying that I'm trying to shrug my duties off on them?" Lori snapped, her face darkening. 

"It's just that since this man claiming to be your father has been calling, you haven't exactly been yourself." 

"If your father had walked out on you when you were only five-years old, how would you feel?" Lori asked, tears gripping the corners of her eyes. "Put yourself in my position." 

"Now, I didn't say life had been easy on you. Don't put words in my mouth. It's just that you don't have to take it out on innocent children. Some of which, I might add, have had a rougher life than you." 

"My mother died when I was nine-years old!" Lori said vehemently. "So don't condescend to me. I came to this orphanage to try to make a difference in these children's lives. I want them to feel the security and the happiness that I grew up without." 

Ruth lowered her head as if afraid to say anything. 

"Well, why don't I start the dishes?" Sam asked. He smiled, hoping it would lighten the tension in the room, then picked up as many plates as he could carry in one trip. He walked into the kitchen, set the plates on the counter, then began running the dishwater. Ruth entered a minute later with more of the dishes. 

"Honest, Mark, she's usually not like this," Ruth said in a low voice. "It's just that things have been real hard on her lately. The orphanage may be closed down real soon, and I suspect that's what's really bothering her, though she won't admit it." 

"That's a shame," Sam said, opening a drawer and discovering silverware. "Where are the dish rags?" 

"Second drawer." 

"I have a friend, Al, who was raised in an orphanage. It wasn't small like this one. He had several bad experiences. Kids were always beating each other up. It seemed as if no one really cared. Al doesn't like to talk about it, and I can't say as I blame him. But this place is different, more like home." 

"Yes. The fewer the children, the more it seems like a family instead of an institution." 

"How hard is it for these children to find homes?" 

"Some are placed in foster homes, even fewer are placed in permanent homes. Most don't even have a chance at being adopted after their third birthday. People want babies." 

"That's a shame. You have really nice children here." 

"Why, thank you." 

"I'll go get the rest of the dishes," Sam said, wiping the dishwater off his hands, then walking back through the door to the dining room. 

_Al, I wish you would come back soon_, he thought. _I'm really worried about you, Buddy. I don't want to do this without you._

After finishing the dishes, Sam went into his room and sat on his bed to ponder over the situation he had been forced into. Why did this angel think he could help Al better than him anyway? After all, he was the one with the seven degrees. Certainly, he could come up with a reasonable solution without Jonathan's help, or The Boss for that matter. As soon as Al came back, he was going to have a long heart-to-heart with him. 

Jonathan entered the room and sat down on his bed. 

"Sam, as soon as your friend returns, I think we should--" 

"I'll handle Al," Sam replied. "He's my friend. I think I know him better than you do." 

"You deal with strangers every leap just like I do with each new assignment. We have to use our instincts to help us decide what we can do to help people. My instincts are saying Al needs help. Aren't yours?" 

Sam had to admit, to himself at least, that Jonathan had a point. 

"It's not just you. I don't understand why this Boss of ours keeps sending me places that are either stressful to me or Al. Why is HE tormenting Al by bringing him here?" 

"It's not my place to answer that." 

"Yeah! It's really not your place to interfere in our lives either." 

Jonathan glanced up as if asking The Boss for an answer, but shook his head as though no answer came. "It wasn't my idea to send you here," he said after several seconds. "I've lost a friend too. While you're here unwilling to cooperate with me, Mark is sitting in your Waiting Room where I can't even talk to him." 

For a few seconds, Sam and the angel stared at one another. Sam wasn't sure what to say. He had been so caught up in anger since learning he had to help an angel that he hadn't even thought about the real Mark Gordon and his relationship with Smith. 

Jonathan stood and left the room. 

Sam wondered if Jonathan and Mark were as close as he and Al were. It's not easy on anyone, he supposed, having your team split up. 

Being an angel had its advantages, one of them the lack of the need to sleep. Jonathan spent the wee hours of the morning straightening up the living room and dusting the furniture. He would need the day to concentrate on his assignment. 

The Boss had explained to the angel what he needed to do right after Jonathan had left Sam alone in the bedroom. He was to find Lori's father and to make sure the two became reacquainted. It wouldn't be easy for Jonathan to convince Lori that her father was sincere about wanting her back in his life, but Jonathan wasn't about to fail this assignment. 

He had earned a demerit in his handling of his last assignment. He had been hired by a man rich enough to live out three lifetimes in luxury without ever working another day. The Boss had told him that he was there to help the man reconcile with his children, but Jonathan wanted to do more. The neighborhood needed money to build a new shelter for the homeless. He had spent much of his time trying to convince the man to help fund the shelter and had nearly destroyed any chances of a reconciliation between the man and his children. As it turned out, someone else had come forward with the money for the shelter, and though Jonathan's employer remained a tyrant, he did make up with his children. 

Jonathan needed to be extra careful on this assignment if he didn't want to get sent back up to Heaven for good. He would pay Peter McKensie a visit that afternoon and convince him to surprise Lori by showing up at the orphanage. 

Jonathan finished dusting the coffee table, then returned the Endust to its spot underneath the kitchen sink. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost five o'clock. Another hour or so and Sam would be ready to wake up. He decided to go back to their room and wait for the day to begin. 

Jonathan sat on his bed and stared at the sleeping man in the other bed. He thought about their argument and missed Mark all the more. Everyone else saw Sam as the person he had leaped into, but Jonathan saw Sam as Sam. He didn't understand why The Boss had allowed this. It was bad enough knowing the man wasn't Mark, but seeing it was pure torture. 

He looked up at the ceiling. Why, why? he thought, feeling the same anger toward The Boss that Sam had expressed earlier. He couldn't dare reveal how he felt to Sam though. Not if he wanted to remain on Earth. 

* * * * 

"You know he won't be able to leap until you return to help him out," Mark Gordon said. He found Beckett a handsome man, but he missed seeing his own face in the mirror. 

"I thought you said you weren't an angel," Al said, waving his cigar around. 

"I'm not." 

"Then how do you know anything about this assignment, this leap?" 

"First of all, Jonathan explained to me what was going to happen before Sam even leaped into my body. Secondly, I'm using intuition to figure the rest of it out. The Boss wouldn't have brought you and Sam into this assignment for no reason. I'm sure that Jonathan will need help from both of you." 

"Isn't that quite convenient for you. You get to sit around in the Waiting Room while we try to fix the mess." 

In his drunken days, Mark have punched a guy for such a comment. Now, thanks to Jonathan's influence, he was able to take it in stride. "Hey, I've been in worse situations than this one," he replied. "And I'm sure you have too." 

Al turned his back on the ex-cop. "I agree. Many of the leaps have been life-threatening for Sam. It's just that this leap gives me the creeps. All those kids, no parents. It brings back some of the worst memories of my life. My mother died when I went through a lot of years feeling like nobody loved me. Verbena thinks that's why I've had so many wives." 

"But if you could only help Sam and Jonathan out, maybe you could make a difference in those children's lives. A difference that you never had. Besides if you help them, then maybe they'll help you." _God, I sound like a shrink._ He glanced up. _Sorry._

"Sam's leaps can never benefit him or me." 

"Oh, is that a fact? Did The Boss tell you that HIMSELF?" 

"No, not exactly." 

"Well then, what's to say that this isn't the leap that you can benefit from? Jonathan tells me that God loves all his children equally, whether they be man, animal, or whatever. God wants to see his children happy." 

"Oh really!" Al countered, his mouth gaping. "Then explain to me why HE orphaned me at nine, made me a POW for five years, and is now forcing Sam to leap into one tragic situation after another." 

"I didn't say that I had all the answers, but I do believe that The Boss doesn't give anyone more than HE thinks they can handle." He paused, remembering a time when he didn't believe that himself. "HE really does want to help you. That's why I'm here, and Sam is where I should be. Hey if I had my way, this whole situation wouldn't have happened in the first place. You think I like being separated from Jonathan?" 

"Well no," Al said hesitantly. 

"Jonathan says that The Boss told him that you haven't been your usual self for awhile. And if you're not yourself, then how can you effectively channel your energy into helping Sam? Your problem has something to do with a leap about four months back." _Maybe I should be charging hourly rates_, Gordon thought, surprised by his own words. "Do you want to talk about Billy?" 

Al opened his mouth, surprised. "You know about him!" 

"Jonathan told me after The Boss told him." 

"Oh. Well, I will admit that it was rough dealing with the death of Billy's parents," Al replied. "But this is different. We're talking about a whole bunch of orphans." 

"No, we're not. We're talking about dealing with your feelings. You have to come to terms with this, so you can continue working with Sam. Don't you understand? The Boss put Sam in my shoes, because he thought it was the only way you could face your fears, so you could get on with your purpose: helping Sam help other people." 

"My purpose! You make it sound as though Sam and I'll be doing this for the rest of our lives." 

"I didn't say that. I don't know what The Boss has planned for you. Hey, I really don't know much more than you do." 

"But I'm so tired of dealing with other people's problems," Al replied. "When are Sam and I going to get our own lives back?" The orphan took a couple steps away from Mark. "Are you thirsty?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Would you like something to eat?" 

"Hey, food's my middle name." Mark's stomach rumbled at the thought. 

* * * * 

It was almost six-thirty before Sam woke up. By the time he showered and changed into clean clothes, he could hear the children playing down the hall in the living room. 

"Do you know yet what we're supposed to do to help Lori keep this orphanage open?" Sam asked, trying to be friendly. 

Jonathan nodded. "Yes. The Boss explained everything to me last night. After we finish with work, I want you to stay here while I go talk to Lori's father." 

"Why do I have to stay here while you go?" No matter how much he liked Jonathan, Sam hated feeling as though he had no control over anything. 

"Because of the storm. I can use 'the stuff' to help me." 

"What do you mean by 'the stuff'?" Sam asked. 

"It's an ability that The Boss gives me when certain situations merit its use. To you it would look like magic." 

"Okay, but Lori said she didn't want anything to do with her father." 

"I have a feeling she's going to change her mind. Now let's get to work on our assignment, okay, Sam?" 

Before Sam could reply, Lori appeared in the doorway. 

"Who's Sam?" she asked. 

"Ah, Sam?" Beckett replied, trying to look confused. 

"I thought I heard Jonathan call you Sam. Maybe I'm hearing things." She was wearing her hair in a ponytail and her face seemed buoyant as if she had forgotten about the unwanted phone call from the night before. Anyway," she said, smiling. "The living room looks clean all except the vacuuming. How'd you get it all done so fast?" 

"I couldn't get to sleep last night," Jonathan replied. 

"I bet," Sam muttered. 

"So I thought I'd get started a little early," Jonathan continued. I didn't do the vacuuming, because I was afraid I'd wake the children." 

"Efficient. I like that," Lori said. "Would you like some breakfast? The children have eaten already, so you can eat in the kitchen if you prefer." 

"That would be great," Jonathan replied and Sam followed him down the hall and into the kitchen. "Good morning, Ruth." 

Ruth was busy cleaning the breakfast dishes. Sam wondered if she ever got tired of doing dishes. He supposed so. 

"Good morning, Jonathan," Ruth replied. "There's some scrambled eggs left, a few strips of bacon, a couple biscuits. I'm afraid the kids really like the biscuits so you're lucky I was able to save you two a piece." 

Ruth dried the last of the dishes and put them away in the cupboards. She left the room humming. 

Sam removed the lid to the container with the biscuits, discovering that there were only three left. 

"Looks like we're going to have to fight over the biscuits," Sam said. "Who gets two?" 

"I don't need to eat," Jonathan replied. 

"Oh, that's right. You don't need to eat, because you're an angel. Don't you ever miss not being able to taste?" 

"I haven't lost my taste, Sam. Only the hunger and the need for sustenance." 

Sam filled his plate and began eating the food, content with having a hunger he could satiate. He was finished eating when Lori entered the room. 

"A shelf in one of the children's closets needs repairs," Lori said. "I'd appreciate it if you could get to it today." 

"I can do that," Sam offered. 

"And Jonathan, after you finish vacuuming the living room, could you go up into the attic. I need you to bring down a couple boxes of clothes. Some of the children need larger sizes." 

Jonathan nodded. "I'll get right on it," he said and left the room. 

Sam took his plate to the sink, then followed Lori out of the kitchen. As he walked past the door to the living room, he glanced in to see some of the children laughing and playing while Jonathan vacuumed around them. 

Lori guided Sam to one of the eight bedrooms on the second floor. He noticed a little girl about four-years old with long black hair sitting in a chair next to the window. Sam wondered why she wasn't playing with the other children and if there was anything he could do for her. 

"It's the closet over there," Lori said, pointing to her left. "Everything you need is inside." 

Lori approached the little girl and knelt to her level. "Peggy, wouldn't you rather go downstairs and play with the other children?" 

"No, Miss McKensie," the girl replied, glancing away from the window only momentarily. "I'd rather stay up here and wait." She returned to staring out the window at the falling snow as though she were watching a cartoon instead. 

"Well, I'm not going to force you to play, but maybe later you'll change your mind." 

The girl continued to look absently at the snow falling down in huge flakes, saying no more. 

Lori stood up and walked over to Sam. "Will it bother you, her being in here?" 

"Not at all." 

Lori nodded and left the room. 

Sam opened the closet and noticed that the wooden shelf was collapsing. Two of the boards were rotting. He picked up the hammer from the floor and began pounding on one of the boards until it became loose enough for him to remove with his hands. 

He glanced over at the little girl, who was still sitting in the same position. _I wonder if she might be a big part of the reason why I leaped into Mark Gordon_, he thought. 

"Why don't you try talking to her," Jonathan said, appearing in the doorway. 

"I don't know what to say to her," Sam replied. "Do you know what's wrong with her?" 

"Her parents died in a car accident only a month ago. She doesn't accept that they're gone. She's waiting for them to come back for her." 

Beckett set the hammer down and approached the little girl. "The snow's very pretty, isn't it, Peggy?" Sam asked. "I remember when I was a little boy. I used to love making snow angels. And snowball fights, they were the best." 

Sam waited for the little girl to say something, but she didn't even move. 

"Peggy, I know it's terrible to lose your parents the way you did, but they're not going to come back." 

Suddenly, Peggy turned her head in Sam's direction. "Yes, they are! You'll see." 

She stood up and ran out of the room. 

"I don't know what I can do to help her, Jonathan," Sam said. "I'm not a psychologist. I don't know. Maybe it's too soon. Maybe denial is a natural thing that an orphaned child has to go through before adjusting to a life without his or her parents." 

"You did your best," Jonathan replied. "I think it's going to take another orphan to get through to her." 

"Another orphan?" Sam asked, and realized Jonathan meant Al before he even finished asking. "Do you really think this leap, or assignment as you call it, will help Al?" 

"The Boss helps those who are willing to help themselves." 

"You mean, Al has to decide for himself to come back, right?" 

"That's right, Sam." 

"About that diatribe I forced on you--" 

"I have a confession to make," Jonathan began, pausing as though checking to make sure he had permission from The Boss. He sighed heavily, an obvious admission that he'd not received any guidance. "No matter how hard I try to fight it, I'm afraid I'm feeling as angry about this whole situation as you are. We each miss our partner. But The Boss wants us to help each other, so let's try to get along and we'll make our way through this situation." 

"I couldn't agree more." 

Jonathan placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, but only briefly. In that moment, Sam thought about how nice it would be if he and Al could share the sensation of a friendly touch. 

"Well, you better get back to work," Jonathan said. "And I better get that box of clothes that Lori asked for." Jonathan left, heading for the stairs that led to the attic. 

A half hour later, Sam finished the repair job on the closet and went back downstairs to the living room where Lori and Ruth were looking through the clothes that Jonathan had brought down. 

Lori looked up. "Do you know where Jonathan went?" she asked. 

"I don't know," Sam replied, though he had his suspicions that a man named Peter McKensie was receiving a visit from a certain angel right about now. 

The doorbell rang and Lori stood, excused herself, then left the room to answer it. 

He noticed that Peggy had moved to one of the windows in the living room. He approached her, unsure of what he was going to say to her. Before he could reach the girl, he heard a man yelling and turned around to see Lori standing in the doorway beside a tall man in his thirties. 

"You have no right to do this!" Lori screamed. 

"Miss McKensie, I am a certified health inspector. That gives me the right." 

"Well, then you have no heart. Look at all these young faces around you." Lori waved her left arm around, pointing at her children. "Tell them what you plan to do. Tell them that they're going to lose their home." 

"A place is not a home when it's as rundown as this place is. I'm taking this to court on Monday, and I'll have you closed down by the end of the month." 

"Why did you come out here?" 

"What?" 

"You could have told me this on the phone. Why did you go to the trouble of coming out here? Did you want to see the expression on my face when you told me?" 

Halsey reached inside his coat and pulled a paper out from his inner pocket. "I'll see you in court," Halsey said, as he handed the paper to her, then turned around and stormed out. 

"What was that about?" Sam asked, after the man had gone. 

"He's the health inspector. He says that this building is too rundown to be safe for the children. And now I have to show up in court to plead my case." 

"What are you going to do about it?" 

"Appeal to the judge for more time." 

"You need a lawyer." 

Lori burst into tears. "I can't even afford to pay for the repairs. How in the Hell am I supposed to pay for a lawyer!" She ran from the room like a child being sent to her bedroom as punishment. 

Sam almost went after her, but stopped when he heard beeping sounds coming from the television. He approached the set to read the snow storm warning flashing across the bottom of the screen, telling them to expect up to two feet of snow before nightfall. 

One of the older children, a black boy with a slender build, walked up beside the time traveler to read the warning. 

"Guess this means we won't be having any outside play for quite some time," the boy observed. 

"No, I'm afraid--" 

Before Sam could finish, the entrance door down the hall opened and Greg Halsey stepped back inside, stomping his feet on the welcome mat. 

"Damn it, damn it to Hell," the health inspector muttered. "My car is stuck in the driveway." 

_What next_? Sam wondered. 

"Don't tell me we're going to have to put up with him 'til the roads are cleared," the boy said. "I don't like him much. He wants us to move out of here, but if we did that Miss McKensie would lose her job." 

_I don't like him either_, Sam thought, but decided it was best not to say so. "It's just his job to make sure that all you kids have a healthy environment to live in," he said aloud. 

"Well, are you going to help me get my car unstuck or not?" the health inspector demanded. 

"I'll give it a try," Sam answered. "But the weather isn't exactly ideal for driving. The snow is coming down in buckets." 

"I have to get to my office," Halsey said, starting to turn red in the face. 

After he grabbed his coat from the closet, Sam followed the irate man out the door. Halsey had managed to back his classic New Yorker about a foot into the yard, enough to prevent him from leaving. 

The snow continued to fall, obscuring Sam's vision and intensifying the situation. His entire body rapidly grew numb. 

He tried to push the car out for a half hour while Halsey pumped the gas before giving in to the blizzard. The health inspector stepped out of the car spewing obscenities at Sam. He walked around to the front of the car, nearly slipped on a patch of ice in his haste to catch up with Sam. He cursed the weather, muttering, "You're lucky I didn't fall or I'd sue this damn orphanage." 

Sam flashed him an indignant glance. 

"Where are you going?" Halsey screamed. 

"It's no use. We'll have to wait until the storm clears." 

As the time traveler went inside and removed his coat he wondered what his friend was doing. He hoped Al would return soon. Peggy needed his help. _I need his company_, Sam thought. _I feel lonely and abandoned without him._

The health inspector came inside, stomping his feet as though he meant to put a hole in the floor. 

Sam returned to the living room where Lori was now playing "Ring around the Rosy" with the smaller children. She stopped when she noticed Halsey standing behind the janitor. 

"His car's stuck in the driveway," Sam explained. "So I'm afraid he has to spend the night." 

"Certainly not my idea of fun," Halsey grumbled. "I'll probably freeze to death tonight." 

"I'll prepare the empty bedroom upstairs for you," Lori said as though she hadn't heard the health inspector's churlish remark. "Sam, I need you to fix the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. And if you see Jonathan, tell him to come talk to me. You don't think he went outside, do you? I can't believe he would just disappear on his first day on the job, especially considering how nasty it is outside. 

"Ask Ruth to come into the living room to watch the children while I'm upstairs." She stepped out of the room. 

Sam turned to look at the other man. 

"Stop staring at me and go do your job, handyman," Halsey said saucily. 

Sam barely restrained himself from punching the man before leaving the room. 

* * * * 

"This stuff is really good," Mark said, and to Al's astonishment began filling his plate for the third time. 

"How much can one person eat?" Al asked, wondering if Gordon's weak spot wasn't more of a weak spot for him. 

"Hey, I told you food was my middle name." 

"We can't afford to feed you indefinitely. We only have a few million in the cafeteria budget." 

"You know how to get rid of me," Mark said in a teasing voice. "All you have to do is go to the orphanage and help your buddy Sam, so he can leap out of my body, and I can have it back." 

Al sighed heavily as he watched Gordon stuff a heaping spoon full of stroganoff into his mouth. Mark grinned as he chewed his food. "You know I can't stay in this body forever." 

"It's only been a couple days," Al argued. 

"Yeah, but even two days out of your own body is really taxing. This isn't the first time for me either." 

"It isn't?" 

"Nope. The Boss made me switch places with a woman once. Boy was I glad to get my old body back. I can just imagine how Sam feels. Always leaping around from one body to the next, never returning to his own." 

"Well, that's not entirely true. There was the one time. He leaped back into himself at sixteen. God, did he want to stay!" 

"Al, have you thought about how you're hurting Sam by avoiding your fears?" 

"Hurting Sam? No, I--" 

"You see! If you just thought about it for a minute, you'd understand how important it is for you to get back there and help him." 

Al sighed, but said nothing. He knew Mark was right, but hated the thought of admitting it. 

"You're orphaning him the way you're handling this." 

"Orphaning him?" 

"Sam thinks of you as a father figure or a big brother at least." 

"I never thought about it that way." Al placed his cigar in his mouth and puffed on it, reflecting on Mark's words. 

Mark pushed his plate away. "Boy, am I stuffed." 

"It's about time," Al said, feeling the tension lift from him now that he knew what he had to do. 

Both men burst into laughter. 

* * * * 

After lunch, Lori had the children sit down in front of the television to watch an animated movie. She asked Sam to mop the dining room floor and he went to the kitchen closet where she told him he would find the mop and bucket. He no more than got started when he heard the health inspector harassing Lori, blaming her because he was stuck at an orphanage with a bunch of brats. 

The wind rattled against the windows, and Sam could feel the cold air creeping inside. He knew that Greg Halsey was right. The orphanage was severely rundown. Sam empathized with the children, because as a time traveler he was constantly forced to "move". He missed having a place to call home. Home, he thought. I wish Al would come back. He's the only piece of home I have left. 

He wrung the mop out in the bucket and the water turned black. _A floor sure can get dirty when kids are around_, he thought, then began mopping the next strip of linoleum, his musings returning to his absent friend. 

_If I were stuck in this orphanage indefinitely without Al around, I'd feel as much like an orphan as any one of these kids._

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Lori's screaming. "Ruth, There's something wrong with Robin! I think it might be his appendix." 

Sam dropped the mop, missing the bucket, and the mop made a loud smacking sound as it hit the floor. He rushed out to the living room where a boy, about eight-years old, was curled in the fetal position on the floor. Lori was kneeling by the boy's side, trying to comfort him. The other children backed away from them to let Sam through. Sam knelt down next to Robin, asking him where it hurt, and the boy pointed to his lower right side. 

Ruth entered the room and asked, "Is it his tummy again?" 

"Robin, it's going to be okay," Lori said. "You don't have to be scared, because we're going to take care of you." 

Sam turned to Lori. "You were right. It's his appendix." 

"How do you know for sure?" Lori asked. 

"I don't have time to explain that right now. If we don't get him some help soon, it may rupture." 

They both looked out the window, seeing nothing but white. 

Sam walked up to the phone and picked up the receiver, but there was no dial tone. 

"The phone's dead," he said. "We can't call an ambulance. Now what do we do?" 

"My pickup is a four-wheel drive," Lori said. "Do you think we can make it?" 

"We'll have to try," Sam replied, lifting Robin into his arms. 

Greg Halsey smiled as the janitor and Lori McKensie bundled up for the cold ride to the hospital. Halsey was sure he could climb in the back of the pickup without being seen. Once in town, he'd be able to make his way to his office where he had a desk full of paperwork. The top item on his agenda was writing a plea to present to Judge Thompson on the court date to have the Marshall County Orphanage shut down for good. 

The health inspector made his way out to the garage and into the back of the truck. Within minutes, the falling snow buried his footprints. 

* * * * 

Jonathan climbed the stairs, approached room 217, then knocked on the door. A moment later an elderly man opened the door. 

"Excuse me," Jonathan said. "Are you Peter McKensie?" 

"Good Lord, son," the man exclaimed in a Scottish accent. "What the bloody Hell are ya doin' out in this storm. Ya'll catch pneumonia." The man stepped aside. "Come inside where it's warm." 

"Why, thank you." Jonathan stepped inside and the other man closed the door. "Mister. McKensie, my name's Jonathan Smith. I'm a janitor at the Marshall County Orphanage where your daughter works." 

"How is she?" McKensie asked anxiously. 

"She's fine, but I'm afraid the orphanage is in dire straights. If they don't receive financial aid immediately, they will be forced to close at the end of the month." 

"That's a shame. I'd offer to help, but I don't think I'll ever be welcome. Mister. Smith, I'm a rich man, but I'm afraid I'm poor where it really counts, 'cause I don't have the love of my little lassie. Oh, I don't blame her for bein' angry with me. I guess I deserve nothin' more. But if I could just see her again, and tell her how much I love her." 

"Oh, you don't have to convince me, Mister. McKensie," Jonathan replied. "It's your daughter who lost a father at five, then a mother at nine." 

"Honest, I didn't know her mom had passed on until a few years ago. If I could do anythin' to change that, don't you think I'd bloody well do it!" 

"Why don't you tell your daughter your story?" 

"How can I when she won't even talk to me on the phone?" 

"Because I'm going to take you to her." 

"In this storm? We won't even make it a mile before--" 

"Mister. McKensie, God will be with us on this journey. You see, I'm an angel." 

Peter McKensie bellowed a deep guttural laugh. "And I'm Santie Claus, Mister. Smith. Do you actually expect me to believe that you're a real live angel?" 

"Oh, of course not. You see, we angels are not alive." 

Suddenly, Peter McKensie found himself flying outside in the midst of the storm beside Jonathan Smith. He was bundled up in his coat, hat, and scarf that only a moment ago had been lying on his bed. Somehow, he couldn't feel the snow and wind whipping at his face. 

"You really are an angel!" McKensie exclaimed with a laugh. 

A clear path opened up in the sky before them like the Red Sea parting for Moses. The sun shone through, showing them the way to Lori. Jonathan was sure that it was a sign that The Boss was pleased with the way he was handling this assignment. 

"Oh it's no use!" Lori said after fifteen minutes had passed since Sam skidded the truck into the ditch. She was holding Robin in her arms with a wool blanket wrapped around him. "We'll never make it to the hospital, not tonight. We're probably going to freeze to death out here." 

"We have to," Sam replied, feeling helpless. "We've only got a couple more miles. Maybe I should walk to the hospital and send back for help." 

"Ohhhhh," Robin groaned. "It hurts, Miss McKensie!" 

"I know," Lori said softly, kissing the boy on his sweating forehead. "Just a little longer, and we'll get you some help." Lori looked up at Sam. "Do you think you can make it to the hospital on foot?" 

"I have to," Sam replied and pushed the door open against the blizzard's wind. He stepped outside to see Jonathan standing only inches away. "Jonathan, how'd you get here?" 

"Sam," Jonathan replied in a teasing voice. "Have you forgotten who I am already?" 

"Oh, right." Curious about how Lori would react to Jonathan's sudden appearance, Sam turned around and stuck his head through the open door and saw the puzzled look on her face. 

"Where have you been?" Lori asked Jonathan. 

"Does that matter?" Sam asked. "I think He's a Godsend." He turned toward the angel. "We need help getting the truck unstuck." 

"No problem. I think my friend and I can manage pushing you out." 

"Your friend?" Sam asked as an older man stepped out of the swirling snow into view. 

Sam climbed behind the steering wheel as the angel and the other man walked behind the truck. After only seconds of pushing, the truck moved forward onto the road. 

"Thank you, Jonathan," Sam said as Jonathan approached the driver-side door. 

Peter McKensie stood behind the angel. 

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Lori asked the older man. 

Jonathan smiled and glanced back at the Scotsman. "Lori, this is Peter McKensie, your father." 

For a long moment, no one said anything. Lori looked down at the boy bundled in her lap as though afraid to look her estranged father in the face. 

"I don't want to speak with you," Lori said. "Do you hear!" 

"Lori, your father just helped you out of a ditch," Jonathan pointed out. "The least you can do is to be kind enough to give him a ride, so he won't be out in the cold." 

McKensie was rubbing his arms, emphasizing the fact that he was bitterly cold. 

"All right. But don't expect any more from me." 

"Jonathan, Peter, you'll have to ride in the back," Sam said, then closed his door. 

Jonathan and McKensie hopped up into the back of the truck, noticing for the first time that there was a stowaway. 

"Who are you?" Peter asked. 

"Greg Halsey, Marshall County health inspector," Halsey replied, blowing air onto his hands to keep them warm. 

"If you hitched a ride, then why in the bloody Hell didn't ya pitch a hand in gettin' them unstuck. They've got a sick kid up there that might've died if we hadn't of come along." 

Jonathan sat silently as a conversation unfolded between the Scotsman and the health inspector. By the time they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Peter McKensie had come to the conclusion that Gregory Halsey didn't have a heart. Not even one that was two sizes too small like the Grinch. 

After parking alongside the hospital sidewalk, Sam stepped out of the pickup, opened the passenger door and took Robin from Lori. Everyone followed him inside through the emergency doors. Halsey immediately went to a pay phone to call a cab. 

"Someone please help this boy," Sam yelled. "He has appendicitis." 

An orderly rolled a bed in Sam's direction, then helped the time traveler place Robin onto it. A moment later a black doctor in his early forties with a name tag reading "Dr. Marvin" came over and began checking Robin's vitals. A middle-aged nurse, Gladys, was writing the symptoms down as the doctor gave them to her. 

"Nurse, take this boy down to x-ray," the doctor ordered and Gladys began rolling the boy toward radiology. 

Sam turned toward Lori and clutched her hands inside of his. "He's going to be all right," he assured her. 

They entered the waiting room together. Halsey, cursing taxi drivers, and McKensie were sitting on opposite sides of the room. Lori took a seat on the south side, away from both men. Sam sat down beside her. 

"Where'd Jonathan go?" Lori asked. 

_I wonder if he had something else that he needed to do_, Sam thought. _Did he go to help Al?_

"He was here a minute ago," Sam said. 

"I don't understand how he found us in the middle of a storm, or what he was doing for that matter, but thank God he came when he did. We might never have made it to the hospital in time." 

Sam looked at Lori's father. "There's also someone else you should thank." 

McKensie's eyes briefly touched on his daughter, then refocussed on the far wall. 

Lori sighed heavily. "You have to understand where I'm coming from." 

"But maybe he's sincere in his efforts to bridge the gap between you two." 

"He's had a lot of years when he didn't even think to call me or send me a postcard. Something. No, I don't think I owe him anything." 

The time traveler looked to the ceiling, wondering what more he could do or say. It would be a lot simpler if Al or Jonathan were around. 

* * * * 

Al had been sitting in his private room for a long time thinking about what Mark had said. He had even turned away Tina when she had knocked at his door. 

Sam depended on him as an authority. Al had realized that on the day he'd met Sam, but until Mark pointed it out to him, he hadn't realized that Sam viewed him as father-like. Al had filled the void that Sam's natural father had left behind. 

_Maybe Mark's right_, Al thought. _I could be orphaning Sam in a way. I can't just abandon him. I have to go back, for his sake._

Al wiped sweat off his brow. 

_I'm gonna do it, Sam_, he thought. _I'm going to come back to you._

He stood and went to tell Mark Gordon his decision. 

* * * * 

"Jonathan!" Ruth exclaimed as the angel entered the living room of the orphanage. "Where have you been? Sam and Lori had to rush one of the kids to the hospital a couple hours ago." 

"I went to speak with Lori's father. We found her and Mark stuck in the road about a mile from the hospital. Robin's going to be fine." 

"Thank God." Ruth breathed fervently, then looked him over in confusion. "What made you decide to visit with Mister McKensie out in this weather, especially when you hardly know Lori?" 

The angel shrugged his shoulders and said, "I wanted to help." 

"I think you're wasting your time, Jonathan. No matter what you do or say that child is never going to forgive her father for abandoning her." 

"Well, I'd like to think that there's still hope in every situation. She's with him now. Though they weren't speaking when I left." 

Ruth turned away to watch the children playing. Anyone of them would probably be overjoyed to have a father, and Lori was pushing away hers. 

Ruth stood and said, "Come along, children. It's time to eat your supper." The children eagerly followed the black woman into the dining room, that is everyone except Peggy. 

The angel wasn't surprised that Peggy stayed behind. In fact, The Boss had told him that he'd done everything he could to help Peter McKensie and that he should return to the orphanage to help Peggy. 

Jonathan approached Peggy, who was still sitting beside the window waiting for her Mommy and Daddy. 

"Hello Peggy," Smith said. "Do you know who I am?" 

The little girl looked puzzlingly at him as though she had just realized that someone else was in the room. 

"You're the janitor that Miss McKensie introduced to us yesterday," she replied. 

"Oh yeah, but that's kind of like a disguise. I'm actually an angel." 

"Really? A real true angel?" 

"That's right and in fact, I know your Mommy and Daddy. They're in Heaven with God right now. They're happy up there, and they want you to be happy too." 

"But I didn't want them to leave me." Tears began rolling down Peggy's face. "I need them, and they just went away." 

"But it wasn't their fault, Darling," the angel said, beginning to water around the eyes himself. "They want you to enjoy your life. Don't spend your time waiting for them to return when you can play with the other children. Your parents want you to be happy. They believe you'll find a new family soon." 

"I can't--" 

Before Peggy could finish, Al reentered. He glanced at the angel and nodded his approval, his smile showing none of the animosity he'd demonstrated earlier. He then glanced around the room, and Jonathan knew he was looking for Sam. 

"Are you an angel too?" Peggy asked the hologram. 

"No, I'm not," Al said slowly turning toward the little girl, confusion, distracting half his attention. He played with the hand link to Ziggy as if expecting it to tell him why he had been centered on the angel and the little girl instead of the time traveler. "Peggy, I'm an orphan just like you." 

The little girl stood for the first time in hours. "You mean, your parents left you too?" The child's face contorted in obvious pain. 

"Yes, they did. But they didn't mean to, Peggy. Just like your parents didn't mean to leave you. God just decided it was time for them to come home to HIM." 

"But I needed them in my home!" Peggy sobbed. 

Al knelt to Peggy's level. "I know. It's difficult growing up without parents, but you'll be okay. You just have to move on, and remember how much they love you." 

Peggy wiped her tears with her shirt sleeve. "I'll try, but I miss them so much it hurts." 

"In time, it won't hurt so much. You may not believe it now, but someday you'll feel happy again. You'll be able to smile and play with the other children." 

"Do you have a happy life?" 

"Yes, I do," Al replied. "It took me a while to realize how well things had turned out for me. Life can only get better for you, Sweetheart." 

Peggy raised her arm as though she intended to grab Al's hand, but it passed through him instead. 

"You said you weren't an angel," Peggy exclaimed with fright. "You lied!" 

"No, no. Do you know what a hologram is?" 

"No." 

"Well its kind of like a movie that you can see, but can't touch. That's what I am: a hologram. I'm from the future, and I came here to make sure you're going to be okay." 

Peggy furrowed her brow as if contemplating an idea well beyond her years. "If you're from the future, then don't you already know if I'm going to be okay?" 

Al laughed. "You know, Peggy, I think you're going to be just fine." He didn't need to ask Ziggy for confirmation. He knew it. 

Peggy started walking away. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To eat supper. I'm starving." 

Al looked at Jonathan and the angel smiled broadly. "I knew you would come back." 

"It took me a while to build up the courage." 

"But you're not the sort of person who would leave your partner high and dry." 

"Partner," Al said, musing over the word. 

"You are his partner. Sam wouldn't be able to solve the problems he faces without your help. That's why The Boss decided to bring you here. To help you realize how much Sam really depends on you." 

"Where is Sam now?" Al asked, glancing at the hand link, but deciding not to push the buttons. This time, he wanted the angel to answer. 

"He's at the hospital." 

"Hospital!" 

"A little boy took ill and Sam and Lori had to rush him there before his appendix ruptured." 

"I hope they made it." 

"They did," Jonathan said. 

"Well, let's pop on over there right now." 

"I can't." 

"But you're an angel. Why not?" 

"It's true that as an angel I can just 'pop' in wherever I'm needed as you so eloquently put it, but you see, The Boss says that I'm not needed in this case. In fact, it's best if I don't go. You need Sam and he needs you. Neither of you need me anymore." 

Al removed the cigar from his mouth and stared at the angel with glossy eyes. 

"Gooshi, center me on Sam," he said after a long moment. 

After the hologram vanished, Jonathan looked up and smiled. 

Sam sat quietly in the waiting room, watching Lori as she talked with the nurse named Gladys about Robin and the other children at the orphanage. 

"I really love children," Gladys said. I wish I could work with them everyday instead of dealing with one emergency right after another." 

"Children are wonderful," Lori agreed. "I never had any of my own, but I feel as though they are my family." 

"Mine are all grown," Gladys said solemnly. "It seems that as the years go by, they visit less and less." 

Lori thought that if only she had enough money, she and Gladys could get along conveniently. The orphans needed a nurse to take care of their daily health care. It was trivial to wish for it though. The orphanage would be closed down soon. 

She stood as Doctor Marvin entered the waiting room and Sam followed her. 

"He's in recovery," the doctor said, and Lori sighed heavily with relief. "He's still asleep, but he's going to be okay." 

"Can I see him?" Lori asked. 

"Why don't we wait until he can be transferred to a regular room?" 

Before the doctor had finished his sentence, Sam heard Al arriving behind him. Sam glanced back at his friend, smiling. Al puffed on his cigar, looking content. _You're back to your old self_. 

"Take care," the doctor said, gently touching Lori on the shoulder, then walking out of the room. 

Suddenly Greg Halsey rushed toward them. "This incident further proof that your building should be closed down," he said. "You can't even afford to employ a nurse." 

"The kid had appendicitis," Lori screamed. "That's hardly a preventable disease." 

"Oh yeah. Well, that doesn't change anything. You still don't have a nurse, and I'm still going to have you closed down by the end of the month." 

"What a dickhead," Al said. 

Halsey turned away from Lori and went to the window. The storm outside was finally tapering off. 

"Good," Halsey exclaimed. "Now, maybe I can get a cab." He left the room, looking for a pay phone. 

"Sam, Robin's going to be okay," Al said. "In a few weeks, he's going to be placed with a foster family, and he does quite well." 

"What about Lori?" Sam asked. 

"What?" Lori asked turning in Sam's direction. 

"I mean, what about it, Lori," Sam told her. "Don't you think it's time that you seriously sat down and talked with your father?" 

Lori looked toward the aging man, her lower lip trembling. 

"If you don't open up to him now," Sam continued, "you may never get another chance. He loves you. Can't you see that?" 

"Then why did he leave me?" Lori asked turning back toward Sam. 

Al started punching buttons. "Ziggy says that her parents had a volatile relationship and--" 

"You'll have to ask him that yourself," Sam said. 

Al lowered the hand link and puffed on his cigar. 

Tentatively, Lori approached her father, glancing back at Sam. Peter McKensie looked up at her and smiled warmly. She sat down beside him. He reached out, and she allowed him to grip her hand. 

"So often I've thought about ya, Lassie," he said. "But I had to leave, else your mom and I might ha' killed one another. If only I'd known what was happenin' to you." 

"You could have called or written." 

"I did write at first, but then your Mom moved ya, and I didn't know where ya were. I've been searchin' for ya for years and years. I only found out a few years back about your Mom passin' on. I'd give anythin' I owned if I could get back the time I lost wi' ya." 

Lori finally released thirty years of suppressed tears, then allowed her father to embrace her. 

Sam turned toward Al. "What happens, Al?" 

Al removed the cigar from his mouth, then peered into the hand link before answering. 

"Lori accepts her father back into her life," Al said, excitedly. "And he gives the funding to fix up the orphanage so it won't be closed down. A few days from now, Gladys, you know the nurse that took care of Robin, quits her job here and goes to work for Lori." 

"Al, I'm glad you decided to come back and help me," Sam said. 

"Well, if I didn't help you, who else would?" 

A few minutes later, Lori walked up to Sam. "Thank you for all your help," she said. "And when you see Jonathan, could you thank him for me?" 

Sam nodded. 

"You were right about talking to my father. It all makes sense now. I always thought he left because he didn't love me, but he left because he does love me. He didn't want me to suffer because of his and my mother's bitter arguments." 

Sam clutched Lori's hand. "May God be with you," he said, then felt the leap effect wrap itself around him. 

Mark felt a strange tugging as his spirit lifted from the Waiting Room and returned to his own body back in 1990. He saw a woman standing in front of him and realized he was holding onto her hands. He smiled, then released his grip. 

_I got my old body back!_ he thought, jumping for joy. 

The woman looked at him oddly. 

"Sorry," he said with a laugh. 

He looked toward the doorway and saw Jonathan staring at him. He approached the angel. 

"Hey buddy," Mark said. "It's great to see you again." He placed his arm gently around Jonathan's back, and the two of them began walking down the corridor together. He had always taken their physical contact for granted, but in that moment he felt such great sympathy for Sam and Al that he couldn't help but feel a little sadness mixed in with the joy. "Has The Boss told you what our next assignment is yet? It was kind of boring in that Waiting Room. You know what I mean?" 

"Yeah. I know what you mean, Mark," the angel replied. "I think you're going to like our next assignment." 

****** 


End file.
